To Tuscany with Love (42 page)

D
uring our college semester in Tuscany, I fell in love with the landscape, the people, the history, the food, and the wine. And if you’ve read about our summer in Tuscany, you know how I felt about my classmates. Returning to New York after that semester abroad, I wanted my kitchen to resonate with the smells and tastes of the food that I loved in Italy.

Bella’s Tastes from Tuscany
is a collection of recipes I created through the years that capture some of the foods, tastes, and memories from that remarkable summer. They feature American—rather than Italian—ingredients and, by necessity in the early years, were easy on my restricted budget.

You can find more of my recipes by visiting
www.GailMencini.com
.

Salute!

Bella

Roasted Tomato Crostini

16 Crostini

This is an alternative to tomato bruschetta for those days when

you don’t have time to dice tomatoes. I use a French baguette

because it is the perfect size for the tomato crostini, plus it

reminds me of that wild, steamy trip we all took to Paris.

8 Roma tomatoes

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

8 to 10 fresh basil leaves

French baguette

Parchment paper (optional)

Preheat the oven to 275
o
F. Line a baking sheet with the parchment, if using. (It will ease your cleanup.) Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and core (not the flesh). Arrange the tomatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer, cut side up. Pierce the tomatoes a few times with a fork. Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over the tomatoes, and then sprinkle them with the salt. Roast in the preheated oven for 2 hours. Remove the tomatoes from the oven, spill out any juice that has collected in them, and then return them to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Make ahead:
The tomatoes can be roasted 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator once they are cool. Bring to room temperature before assembling.

For the crostini toasts,
cut the French baguette into 1/4 -inch slices. Brush both sides of the slices with the remaining olive oil. Arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 350
o
F for 7 to 8 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden brown and the center is a little firm.

Make ahead:
The crostini toasts can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 2 days after they have fully cooled. A full-size baguette will make extra crostini toasts that you can use for another appetizer.

Assemble the crostini close to the time when you serve them, as cut basil will darken. Place one tomato, cut side up, onto each crostini.

Chiffonade the basil:
Stack half the basil leaves into a neat pile. Roll the leaves lengthwise into a tight cigar shape. Using a sharp knife cut the leaves crosswise into very thin strips. Repeat with the remaining basil leaves.

Fluff the strips with your fingers to separate. Add the basil fluff on top of the tomatoes. The cook deserves to sample one crostini before they all disappear!

Tuna and Bean Salad

Serves 4 as a side dish or 6 as a tapas

During our summer in Italy, dining alfresco at a trattoria was

always a fun, leisurely event, with much laughter and teasing.

Sharing these meals paved the way for our friendship, and we often

somehow endeared ourselves to the owners. At one of our favorite

spots when Pino—the owner—saw us, he immediately brought

out bottles of Chianti and bowls of this dish.

1-14 oz. can of cannellini beans

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons of juice)

2–5oz. Cans of tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked

(you can use more or less tuna depending on the size of your cans)

1/2 of a small red onion, or more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse the beans. Quickly heat the beans on the stove or in the microwave until warm. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste (you may not need any unless you are using no-salt-added beans). Pour the lemon juice-olive oil mixture over the warm beans and stir to coat the beans. Fold in the tuna and lemon zest. Slice the onion into thin circles and then cut the rings into semi-circle halves.

Stir the red onion into the bean mixture and taste for seasoning. Add more salt, pepper, or onion if desired.

Chill in the refrigerator until serving. (I always serve myself a tiny portion before I tuck it away to chill—I consider it quality control!)

When ready to use, stir the bean salad to mix in any dressing at the bottom of the bowl. The bean and tuna salad can be served cold, at room temperature, or slightly warmed in the microwave.

Make ahead:
The salad can be made 1 day in advance.

“Buon appetitio!”

Remember, you can find more of my recipes by visiting

www.GailMencini.com.